Date

5-8-2018

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

The basis of this research began with a very personal connection to the topic of teacher retention. As I began working in schools while progressing through my Elementary Education degree, I noticed an atmosphere that was not as positive and passionate as I had hoped it would be. I often found myself thinking, "Will I end up like this?" or "Why be a teacher if you don't enjoy it?" Shortly after, I attended a conference where I learned about current teacher retention problems in the United States. This piqued my interest further and I set out to study this issue. Based on previous research I had found pertaining to teacher retention, I thought the best way to study this issue was to find out if pre-service teachers going into this career were passionate and prepared. I took a survey-based approach geared towards the pre-service teachers at Bridgewater State University. After analyzing the data, I was able to quantitatively see the motivations and expectations of pre-service teachers that could potentially help guide teacher preparation so that these beginning teachers experienced a longer and more satisfying career in education.

Department

Elementary Education

Thesis Comittee

Nicole Glen (Thesis Advisor)

Robert Sylvester

Adam Ulenski

Copyright and Permissions

Original document was submitted as an Honors Program requirement. Copyright is held by the author.

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